Follow Our Progress

November 25th 2003

We didn't get a whole lot done today.  We had to run some errands and the Jeep decided to blow out all of the coolant again and overheat.  I spent about 1/2 hour acquiring water for the cooling system while it was pouring down rain.  It seemed pretty ironic that I had to search for water while trying not to get soaked from the rain.

We managed to get enough water in the Jeep to make it to the bus (which was closer than home), so while it cooled off we built a fire and went to work.  I did not get a chance to return home and get the camera, so I don't have any pictures of our work today.

The bedroom in the back of the bus has been a pain to keep warm.  The girls are always bundled up in blankets and sleeping bags back there even when the front of the bus is near 80 degrees.  With the forced air heater on we can slowly bring the back bedroom up to a comfortable temperature, but only by closing all of the other heater vents in the system.  As soon as the heater is shut off though, the back bedroom rapidly gets too cold again.

Becky and I decided that it was time to see if we could solve the problem...  It's no big surprise that the room gets cold fast.  For starters, there are 3 huge windows.  Two of the windows are sliders and do not seal at all anymore.  I have not found any local auto/truck glass shops that carry the type of rubber gasket that would replace the rotted one that is on them now, so we are going to try to keep some of the heat in by using insulating plastic window film until we can find a permanent solution.  

We decided to cover and insulate the back window like we have done with some of the side windows in the front of the bus already.  We blacked out the back window with spray paint.  We do not have enough foil backed insulation left over to cover it, so I added that to our shopping list. for tomorrow.

I think that about sums it up.  We left before it got too dark and managed to get back to the house.  We didn't have any heat in the Jeep because there was still air in the cooling system that I couldn't get out.  The Jeep got hot enough to "burp" out all of the air by the time we got home, so I was able to top off the coolant tonight, so I think we'll be OK tomorrow as long as the reservoir cap stays put...

Unrelated to the bus

The Jeep has been a pretty major pain in the butt I have to say.  Overheating problems have haunted us since the very day we brought it home.  The design of the cooling system on 1984-1991 Jeep Cherokees is horrible.  It's a closed system.  There is absolutely no way to add coolant when the engine is hot.  The whole system (including the plastic reservoir and cap) has to be under pressure in order to work properly.  What generally happens to ours is that the cap to the reservoir comes loose somehow while under pressure.  As soon as the pressure in the system is released, the coolant boils and comes literally shooting out of the reservoir cap and all over everything in the engine compartment.  Within about 30 seconds or so, there is nothing left in the system but whatever is trapped in the hoses.

When the Jeep decides to throw up all of the coolant, there's nothing I can do but wait for the engine to cool enough so new coolant that I add doesn't just boil out of the system too.  It takes about 20 minutes usually before I can add coolant again...  Here's the really stupid part of the design of the coolant system - it will not full up with new coolant while it is cool.  You have to run the engine and get it hot enough to "burp" the lines.  Then you have to add more coolant and tighten the cap so that the whole process of throwing up the coolant doesn't happen again once the engine is hot.

I originally thought that there was something wrong with the cooling system that needed to be repaired, but we have replaced just about every part of the system now (and the coolant reservoir & cap several times), so I am convinced now that it's just a horrible design.

I spent some time this evening trying to find a solution to the Jeep's overheating problem, and it looks like several people have swapped their closed systems for the newer open system that came on 4.0L Jeeps after 1991.  Apparently the radiator & thermostat simply bolt on to the existing holes.  Thank goodness car companies change as little as they possibly can to save money...  Anyway, I downloaded the parts list and installation instructions.  I have to add up the cost and see if I can afford to do it before our trip in January.  For now, Becky and I will just have to make a ritual of opening the hood and checking the coolant reservoir cap every time we leave the garage...  We also need to carry 2 & 1/2 gallons of water with us everywhere we go.  What a stupid design - if it wasn't completely paid for (and we had any money to spare), I'd probably be looking for a better vehicle...  As of right now, all of the repairs we have made to the car to date do not add up to even 6 monthly car payments for a new car of the same type, so I can't complain too much.